1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a closure device for connecting two parts.
2) Related Art
Such closure device includes a first connecting module and a second connecting module, which can be arranged on each other in a closing direction and are mechanically latched with each other in a closed position. By moving the first connecting module or a part of the first connecting module in an opening direction, which differs from the closing direction, the first connecting module can be released from the second connecting module, in order to open the closure device in this way.
In a closure device of this type known from WO 2008/006357 A2, two connecting modules are attached to each other in a vertical closing direction and thereby mechanically lock into place. Due to the fact that both on the first connecting module and on the second connecting module one magnet each or on the one hand a magnet and on the other hand a magnetic armature are arranged, establishing the mechanical latching and hence transferring the closure device into the closed position is supported magnetically. With suitable dimensions of the magnets, closing of the closure device largely is effected automatically, when the connecting modules are approached to each other. By shifting or rotating the first connecting module relative to the second connecting module, the mechanical latching can be released, wherein the magnetic means at the same time are sheared off from each other by a lateral movement and hence are removed from each other.
In their closed position, closure devices of this type on the one hand represent a safe and loadable connection of two parts with each other and on the other hand can easily be closed and be opened again in a haptically pleasant way. The fields of application of such closure devices extend to devices of a general kind for (releasably) connecting two parts, such as closures of bags, flaps or lids, connecting devices for belts or ropes or other components and the like.
In a closure device as it is known for example from WO 2008/006357 A2, the first connecting module is held at the second connecting module against the closing direction, when the first connecting module is disposed at the second connecting module in the closed position, in that the two connecting modules are mechanically latched with each other by a mechanical latching means. This mechanical latching means includes an elastically resilient spring locking element at one of the connecting modules, to which a latching protrusion at the other one of the connecting modules can be attached in the closing direction, so that the spring locking element is pushed aside transversely to the closing direction and in the manner of a clip element mechanically gets in engagement with the latching protrusion and thereby a mechanical latching acting against the closing direction is established. In the closed position, a secure hold of the two connecting modules at each other is provided by this mechanical latching.
However, there exists a need for a further improvement of such closure device, in order to increase the loadability of such closure device under a great tensile load of the closure device with load forces acting against the closing direction.
An approach for increasing the mechanical loadability can consist in designing the mechanical latching means more stably with a latching protrusion and a spring locking element. However, this leads to the fact that establishing the latching by attaching the first connecting module to the second connecting module in the closing direction becomes more difficult, because a larger force is required for establishing the latching. In addition, the overall size is increased and magnetic means (when they should be provided for supporting the establishment of the mechanical latching) become more expensive, because the magnetic means also must be dimensioned larger for an effective closing support for providing a stronger force of magnetic attraction.